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Nuggets shoot for homestand sweep vs. Hawks



The Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets will attempt to sweep their three-game homestand on Saturday when they face the Atlanta Hawks, who have won two straight on their challenging five-game road swing. The Nuggets are coming off a 134-117 win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The Hawks followed up a 32-point win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday with a 115-108 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday, improving their mark to 2-1 on the current trek.

This will be the second meeting of the season between Atlanta and Denver. The Hawks won 117-109 in Atlanta on Dec. 2 despite the injury-prompted absence of starters Trae Young, John Collins and De’Andre Hunter. The Nuggets, who swept the series last season, have won the teams’ past two matchups in Denver.

The Western Conference-leading Nuggets went 12-4 in January, the best record in the NBA, and earned Michael Malone the conference Coach of the Month honor for the second time in his career. Denver had a nine-game winning streak in January but has won just three of its past six.

The Nuggets are led by Nikola Jokic, who produced his NBA-leading 17th triple-double of the season against Golden State.

With the win in Salt Lake City, Atlanta improved to 14-15 on the road and leads the NBA in road scoring at 117 points per game. The Hawks are 10-9 against teams from the Western Conference, including 6-5 on the road.